Where there was excess and extravagance and nobles to swindle, there were
Wolves.
Juniper was among the few tasked with this mission, and she had not come in unprepared. In the weeks leading up to the event, she had procured a servant's liveries and a guest list that she had pored over for specific names. Noble celebrations were always a good place to track down those with debts to pay, with all the noise and music and distractions and booze to serve as diversions. But not only that, they were a good place to refill some of the Soot Wolf coffers. Rufus would be pleased.
With everything going on, no one would notice a new servant girl among the ranks; why, they might just all assume she was freshly hired for the party. And by the time they started to ask questions and piece things together...the job would be done and she would be gone.
The only one she had to worry about was the damned Butler,
Constance, if that was even her name. Juniper had watched her over in the days leading up to the fete as she cased the property, and she seemed to be the one truly in charge. Organized, knowledgeable, sharp. If anyone was likely to catch her, it would be that woman.
She would just have to give her a wide berth.
On the day of the event, Juniper found herself working with the serving staff, which was exactly what she wanted. She did her best to blend in; over the years she had trained as a spy, she had also learned all the ins and outs of etiquette and proper rich person behavior, and she tapped into that skill as she worked. It was chaotic and busy enough no one stopped to ask her questions, but it would also ensure she got to be close to the guests. And there was one guest in particular that was on the Soot Wolves' naughty list: a minor noble by the name of Selenius Nightcroft. He owed the Wolves a substantial debt (for what, she didn't know and didn't care) and it was her job to collect.
Easy.
And so it was that she bustled around the extravagant table in her fancy liveries, her dark violet hair clean for once since at an event this gaudy, letting her bright Serenian features show stood out less than trying to hide them. Because hoo boy, she had seen gaudy, but this was above and beyond. As she worked, she watched and listened, somehow keeping a straight face as Lord Wissilworth fussed over this and that. She would love to get close to him at some point, too, if she could pull it off; he would never notice a couple missing gems from that hideous suit of his.
She had just finished arranging one of the last centerpieces when the host himself gave the command: "TO YOUR STATIONS!"
Showtime.
Juniper bustled away with the other servants to stand at the ready--because things were about to get interesting.
And even if she had her reasons for being here, she had to admit, she would not have wanted to miss this. Seeing nobles make fools of themselves never got old, though on the flip side, the sparkle and gaudiness and excess somewhat reminded her of...
She stopped that thought in its tracks. Time to see if the hype was everything this Wissilworth guy made it sound like, because oh boy did he never shut up.